[TN-Bird] Common grackles display "table manners"!--blue jays yell, Cooper's appears.

Good rainy morning,
 
During a deluge of rain a bit ago, a flock of about 50 common grackles and  2 
adult male red-wings came for brunch here in the Charlotte Park  section of 
West Nashville.  About half the grackles and the red-wings began  to eat from 
the food scattered on the deck.  The other grackles formed  a LINE down the 
deck rail and took turns at the tube feeder of sunflower  seeds.  Two or three 
grackles would perch on the feeder, take food and fly  over into the althea 
bush.  The next grackle(s) in line would hop onto the  feeder and take food.  
As 
each grackle left, the next one in line would  take its turn.  As each grackle 
finished its food while in the bush, it  would get back to the END of the line 
and repeat the process.  They  sort of reminded me of the way waxwings will 
pass a berry up the line then back  to the original bird that gets to eat it.  
I took quite a few photos of  them, but they are not too good.  It was pouring 
rain, and the windows were  rain splattered.  The birds are barely 
recognizable.  The yellow in  the red-wing's wing looks smeared, and the other 
birds are 
mostly black  blobs that look grackle-ish   I don't remember ever seeing  
grackles display such "lovely table manners" before.  Just as the rain  began 
to 
wane, the grackles and red wings flew off as one group, the blue jays  raised 
a racket in the back yard trees, and one of my Cooper's hawks came  speeding 
through the trees and over the deck in hot pursuit of the fleeing  flock.
 
In the present light shower, all the other usual yard birds are feeding  
zestily on my deck and feeders.  I can't help but think that these birds  know 
to 
come to Dee's "Smorgabird" when they are hungry during wet  weather.  They get 
food here with little effort.  All they have to do  is eat.  Apparently, the 
Cooper's hawk knows that, too. The blue jays  just sounded another alarm, and 
all the birds disappeared.  Guess "Coop"  didn't catch a grackle or decided it 
didn't want one for  lunch.  
 
Dee Thompson
Nashville, TN
 
 
 
 
 


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